Gate tightener

ABSTRACT

A gate tightener comprises a shaft which is rotatably mounted within a tube or sleeve. The tube or sleeve is welded to a vertical plate which in turn is adapted to be secured to a gatepost. The shaft has handles on its opposite ends so that it may be rotated within the sleeve. A cable element has its opposite ends secured to the shaft so as to form a loop for the reception of a vertical member of a gate, and locking means are provided for selectively locking the shaft against rotation within the sleeve.

United States Patent 91 Wahlert Mar. 26, 1974 1 GATE TIGHTENER [76]Inventor: Franklyn G. Wahlert, R.R. No. 3,

Exira, Iowa 50076 [22] Filed: Dec. 13, 1972 211 App]. No.: 314,823

[52] U.S. Cl. 292/246, 160/328 [51] Int. Cl. E05c 19/10 [58] Field ofSearch 160/328; 256/39, 40, 41;

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1909 Edwards 160/32811/1897 Stauffer et a1. 160/328 397,814 2/1889 Nicolai 256/40 UX 598,4942/1898 Bennett et a1. 256/40 2,575,947 11/1951 Etnyre 292/247 2,827,2653/1958 McKillop 160/328 X FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 617,120 2/1949Great Britain 256/40 Primary Examiner-Dennis L. Taylor Attorney, Agent,or Firm-Zarley, McKee & Thomte [5 7] ABSTRACT A gate tightener comprisesa shaft which is rotatably mounted within a tube or sleeve. The tube orsleeve is welded to a vertical plate which in turn is adapted to besecured to a gatepost. The shaft has handles on its opposite ends sothat it may be rotated within the sleeve. A cable element has itsopposite ends secured to the shaft so as to form a loop for thereception of a vertical member of a gate, and locking means are providedfor selectively locking the shaft against rotation within the sleeve.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures GATE TIGHTENER This invention relates to agate tightener.

One problem commonly encountered on farms is the problem of securelyfastening gates so that livestock cannot escape from pastures or otherareas in which they are fenced. Often the gates in such pastures arefastioned from vertical posts which are interconnected by horizontalstrands of barbed wire. Consequently, when these gates are fastened theymust be tightly drawn toward the stationary gate post of the gate so asto prevent the gate from yielding when the animals attempt to get out ofthe fenced-in area.

The present invention contemplates means for tightly drawing such a gatetoward the gatepost so that the gate will be securely fastened.

Therefore a primary object of the present invention is the provision ofmeans which will tightly draw a gate toward a gatepost.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a devicewhich permits the application of leverage for tightening a gate.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a devicewhich is easy to mount on any conventional gate.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a gatetightener which may be locked so as to maintain the gate in a tightenedcondition after it has been drawn tightly against a gatepost.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a devicewhich is economical to manufacture, durable in use, and simple inconstruction.

This invention consists in the construction, arrangements andcombination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objectscontemplates are attained as hereinafter more fully set forth,specifically pointed out in the claims, and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the gate fastener.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the gate fastener.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along lines 3 -3 of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of a modified form of the gatefastener.

Referring now to the drawings, a gate fastener or tightener is shownrigidly mounted to a stationary gate post 12. A vertical member 14 formsthe end of a flexible gate (not shown) having a plurality of horizontalbarbed wire members 16. A U-shaped metal strap 18 is rigidly secured tothe lower end of gatepost 12 by means of screws or nails 20 and isadapted to receive the lower end of vertical member 14 of the gate.

Gate tightener 10 comprises a bracket member 22, a shaft 24, and alooped cable 26. Bracket 22 includes a vertical plate 28 and ahorizontal sleeve or tube 30 which is welded or otherwise fixed tovertical plate 28. Plate 28 is rigidly secured to gatepost 12 by meansof screws or nails 32. Tube 36 includes a pair of vertically alignedapertures 34.

Shaft 24 is shown in the drawings to be of tubular construction, but itmay equally as well be solid in construction. Shaft 24 rotatably extendsthrough tube 30 of bracket 22, and includes a plurality of holes 36therein which are adapted to move into registered alignment with holes34 of tube 30 when shaft 24 rotates within tube 30. At opposite ends oftube 30 are two spaced apart pairs of annular flanges 38, 40 which abutagainst the opposite ends of tube 30 and limit axial movement of shaft24 within tube30. Pairs of flanges 38, 40 provide reel portions 42, 44along shaft 24 for receiving the opposite ends of looped cable 26. Thusupon rotation of shaft 24 the opposite ends of cable 26 wind upon reelportions 42, 44.

At the opposite ends of shaft 24 is a pair of crank handles 46, each ofwhich comprises a horizontal member 48 and a vertical member 50.Vertical members 50 are operatively secured to the opposite ends ofshaft 24 by nuts 52 or other conventional means.

A locking means is provided in the modification shown in FIGS. 1 3, andwhich comprises a vertically disposed pin or bolt 54 having a head 56 onthe upper end thereof. Bolt 54 slidably extends through apertures 34, 36of sleeve 30 and shaft 24 so as to prevent rotation of shaft 24 withinsleeve 30.

In order to operate gate fastener 10, one must place the lower end ofvertical member 14 within U-shaped metal strap 18 so as to preventmovement of the lower end of member 14 away from the post 12. Loopedcable 26 is then placed over the upper end of vertical member 14, andpin 54 is removed from apertures 34, 36 so as to permit rotation ofshaft 24 within sleeve 30. Shaft 24 is rotated by virtue of handles 46,and the L- shaped configuration of handles 46 permits the application ofconsiderable leverage during the rotation of shaft 24. As shaft 24 isrotated, the opposite ends of looped cable 26 are rotatably wound aroundreel portions 42, 44 of shaft 24. This winding of cable 26 about reelportions 42, 44 causes the upper end of vertical member 14 to be drawntoward stationary gatepost 12. When the desired tightness of the gatehas been achieved, the operator again inserts pin 54 into apertures 34,36 of sleeve 30 and shaft 24. Because of the plurality of openings 36 inshaft 24, shaft 24 may be locked in any of a plurality of rotationalpositions within sleeve 30.

Referring to FIG. 4, a modified form of the invention is shown. All ofthe components of the gate tightener are the same as shown in FIGS. 1 3with the exception that a padlock 58 is used in the place of pin 54.Padlock 58 includes a U-shaped bar 60 which has its opposite ends joinedand retentively engaged by a body member 62. One of the legs of U-shapedbar 60 slidably extends through apertures 34, 36 of sleeve 30 and shaft24 in the same fashion as did pin 54. Thus, padlock 58 may be used toprovide security measures to prevent the opening of the gate once it hasbeen tightly secured. In view of the foregoing it can be seen that thedevice accomplishes at least all of its stated objectives.

I claim:

1. A device for mounting on a gatepost to tighten a flexible wire gatehaving a vertical member, said device comprising:

a shaft having opposite ends;

a bracket support having bearing means thereof for rotatably receivingsaid shaft said bearing means comprising an elongated tube havingopposite ends;

means for mounting said bracket on said gatepost;

said shaft rotatably extending through said bearing means;

a cable element having its ends secured to said shaft one end of saidcable being secured to said shaft in spaced-apart relationship to oneend of said bearing means and the other end of said cable being securedto said shaft in a similar spaced-apart relationship to the opposite endof said bearing means, and thereby forming a loop for the reception ofsaid vertical member of said gate;

handle means for rotating said shaft whereby said cable element will bewound around said shaft and said vertical member will be drawn towardsaid gatepost; and

locking means for selectively locking said shaft against rotation.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said bearing means comprises anelongated tube having a cylindrical wall and at least one hole in saidcylindrical wall, said shaft having at least one hole therein adapted tomove into registered alignment at times with said hole of said bearingmeans during rotation of said shaft.

3. A device according to claim 2 wherein said locking means comprises apin protruding through said holes when they are in registered alignment.

4. A device according to claim 2 wherein said holes in said shaftextends entirely through the thickness thereof, said tube having a pairof holes therein adapted to register with the opposite ends of said holein said shaft at times during rotation of said shaft.

5. A device according to claim 4 wherein said locking means comprises apadlock having a U-shaped bar and a body member retentively engaging theopposite ends of said U-shaped member, said U-shaped member extendingthrough said pair of holes in said tube and said hole in said shaft.

6. A device according to claim 2 wherein said shaft includes'a pluralityof holes adapted to move into registered alignment with said hole ofsaid tube during rotation of said shaft.

7. A device according to claim 1 wherein said bracket comprises avertical plate adapted to abut against a vertical surface of saidgatepost, said bearing means comprises a horizontal tube fixed to saidvertical plate, said tube having a pair of vertically aligned holesextending therethrough, said shaft having a hole extending therethroughtransversely to the longitudinal axis of said shaft, said hole of saidshaft being adapted to move into registered alignment with said holes ofsaid tube, said locking means comprising a pin extending through saidholes of said shaft and said tube when said holes are in registeredalignment.

8. A device according to claim 7 wherein said handle means comprise twoL-shaped crank handles rigidly secured adjacent the opposite ends ofsaid shaft, said handles each having a vertically disposed member and ahorizontally disposed member.

9. A device according to claim 8 wherein a pair of first flanges arerigidly secured to said shaft adjacent the opposite ends of said tube;said flanges extending radially outwardly from the longitudinal axis ofsaid shaft and rotatably bearing against said opposite ends of said tubeduring rotation of said shaft so as to limit axial movement of saidshaft within said tube.

10. The device of claim 9 wherein spaced apart outwardly from each ofsaid first flanges, nearer said handles, second flanges are secured tosaid shaft, said second flanges and said first flanges defining reelportions for receiving the opposite ends of said looped cable.

1. A device for mounting on a gatepost to tighten a flexible wire gatehaving a vertical member, said device comprising: a shaft havingopposite ends; a bracket support having bearing means thereof forrotatably receiving said shaft said bearing means comprising anelongated tube having opposite ends; means for mounting said bracket onsaid gatepost; said shaft rotatably extending through said bearingmeans; a cable element having its ends secured to said shaft one end ofsaid cable being secured to said shaft in spaced-apart relationship toone end of said bearing means and the other end of said cable beingsecured to said shaft in a similar spacedapart relationship to theopposite end of said bearing means, and thereby forming a loop for thereception of said vertical member of said gate; handle means forrotating said shaft whereby said cable element will be wound around saidshaft and said vertical member will be drawn toward said gatepost; andlocking means for selectively locking said shaft against rotation.
 2. Adevice according to claim 1 wherein said bearing means comprises anelongated tube having a cylindrical wall and at least one hole in saidcylindrical wall, said shaft having at least one hole therein adapted tomove into registered alignment at times with said hole of said bearingmeans during rotation of said shaft.
 3. A device according to claim 2wherein said locking means comprises a pin protruding through said holeswhen they are in registered alignment.
 4. A device according to claim 2wherein said holes in said shaft extends entirely through the thicknessthereof, said tube having a pair of holes therein adapted to registerwith the opposite ends of said hole in said shaft at times duringrotation of said shaft.
 5. A device according to claim 4 wherein saidlocking means comprises a padlock having a U-shaped bar and a bodymember retentively engaging the opposite ends of said U-shaped member,said U-shaped member extending through said pair of holes in said tubeand said hole in said shaft.
 6. A device according to claim 2 whereinsaid shaft includes a plurality of holes adapted to move into registeredalignment with said hole of said tube during rotation of said shaft. 7.A device according to claim 1 wherein said bracket comprises a verticalplate adapted to abut against a vertical surface of said gatepost, saidbearing means comprises a horizontal tube fixed to said vertical plate,said tube having a pair of vertically aligned holes extendingtherethrough, said shaft having a hole extending therethroughtransversely to the longitudinal axis of said shaft, said hole of saidshaft being adapted to move into registered alignment with said holes ofsaid tube, said locking means comprising a pin extending through saidholes of said shaft and said tube when said holes are in registeredalignment.
 8. A device according to claim 7 wherein said handle meanscomprise two L-shaped crank handles rigidly secured adjacent theopposite ends of said shaft, said handles each having a verticallydisposed member and a horizontally disposed member.
 9. A deviceaccording to claim 8 wherein a pair of first flanges are rigidly securedto said shaft adjacent the opposite ends of said tube; said flangesextending radially outwardly from the longitudinal axis of said shaftand rotatably bearing against said opposite ends of said tube duringrotation of said shaft so as to limit axial movement of said shaftwithin said tube.
 10. The device of claim 9 wherein spaced apartoutwardly from each of said first flanges, nearer said handles, secondflanges are secured to said shaft, said second flanges and said firstflanges defining reel portions for receiving the opposite ends of saidlooped cable.